I recently renewed my interest in the tin whistle (aka Irish whistle, pennywhistle) and ran across this site which features a fellow by the name of Jim Clendenen (one letter off of my mother's maiden name). Jim, it appears, is the music minister of a church in Richmond, Virginia. While he classes himself in the "Contemporary Christian" category, it seems that his music has much more substance about it than the typical CCM. I recommend you listen (while reading) his Psalm 69 and "Be Still My Soul." I find Psalm 69 to be a tremendously programmatic piece the begins to expose the angst of Psalm 69. Imagine, he sat down and recorded this one evening after coming home from work!
From time to time we'll be learning some new, new and new, old hymns and songs. Our first journey down this path is the Welsh revival hymn "Here is Love". A video of a great Welsh singer singing this hymn is found below. Please listen to this hymn via the video or on cyberhymnal here. We'll be trying this out in the near future in our service.
Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.
On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.
Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.
In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.